Improvement in brick-machines



'UNITED STATES4 PATENT OFFICE..

J. A. LAFLER, orALBIoN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT `IN^BRICK'MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters `Patent No. 37,348, dated January 6, 1863.

TowZZ whom; it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, J. A. LAFLER, of Albion, in the county of Orleans and State of New York, have invented a new and Im proved Machine for Molding and Pressing Bricks and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the`same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in Whichl.

Figure 1 is a front view of my invention; Fig. 2, a vertical central section ofthe same, taken in the line .fr m, Fig. l; Fig. 3, an enlarged longitudinal section of a portion of the mold pertaining to the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 4 Fig. 4:, a transverse section of Fig. 3, taken in the line zz; Fig. `5, an end view of the mold; Fig. 6, a vertical section of a portion of Fig. 2, taken` in the line m x.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enabler those skilled in the `art to fully understand and construct my invention, l will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectangular box, in which a vertical shaft, B, is placed centrally and fit-- ted in suitable bearings, a c. This shaft B` has horizontal knives U attached radially to it, said knives beinginclined in their trans` verse section, as shown clearly in Fig..2, the` sharp edges of the knives being the most elevated. These knives G are attached to the shaft B in sets of four each in the saine plane, the different sets being at equal distances apart, Vand the knives extending nearly to the inner. sides of the box A. To the lower part of the shaft B, and in a plane just above the bottom a of the box A, there are attached radially scrapers D, which are also inclined in their transverse section, but are somewhat broader than the knives C. The knives (l are not placed all in line with each other. Every alternate set is so placed, and the intermediate ones are placed in line with the centers of the spaces between the others. This is designed to be about the position of the knives, although it may be varied somewhat.

E represents apress-box, which is attached to the bottom of the box A, at its front side. The inner surfaces ofthe front and back sides of this box E are of curved form, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and within box E there is placed another box, F, which I term a clodcrusher.77 This box or clod-crusher has curved sides b, which correspond` in form. to the curvature of the inner sides of the press-box E, and it has a grated bottom, formed of parallel bars c, placed transversely at equal distances apart the width between them in the clear corresponding to the width of the compartments in the mold-box Gr, as shown in Fig. 6. The upper parts of the bars c are beveled, so as to form sharp or angular edges. The box or clod-crusher is allowed to work freely up and down in the press-box E, audit is attached at its lower end to a swinging frame, H, the back end of which is fitted loosely on a shaft, I, attached to the under side of box A, as shown in Fig. 2. The box or clodcrusher F is not attached directly to the. frame H. It has a projecting plate, el, at each side at its lower part, through which upright rods e on the frame H pass, said rods having shoulders fonthem, to serve as stops or rests for the box or clod-crusher. On the rods c,

above the plates d, there are placed spiral springs g, which are held in position by nuts h. (See Fig. 6.) The front part ofthe frame H projects some distance in front of the box or clod-crusher F, and it connects to a shaft, J, at the front part of box A, by means of two rods, i i, and chains j j, the latter being connected to the shaft J, which has a hand-wheel or hand-lever, K, secured to one end. of it. The frame H has friction-rollers L placed in it transversely directly underneath the box or clod-crusher F, as shown in Fig. 2.

M representsarack-bar,into which a toothed segment, N, gears, saidL segment being placed on a shaft, O, which is underneath the frame H, and has its bearin gin pendents ax, attached to frame H. This shaft has an arm, P, at one end ofit, that is connected by a rod, Q, to a hand-lever, It, having its fulcrum at k. The rack-bar M has a bar, S, attached to its back end by uprights l l, which pass up through the frame H, and the ends ofthe bar S have fric tion-rollers m placed on them, which work or 'y rest on frame H.

G represents the mold or mold-box, which is formed of two parallel sides, m m, and end pieces, n, fn. This mold-box is divided into compartments by transverse partition-plates o, which are permanently secured between the parallel sides m m, and have their lower edges projecting down a short distance below them,

as shown clearly in Fig. 4, andthe lower edges of the plates o are beveled at each end, as shown at p, as also are the lower edges of the sides m m of the mold-box, as shown at p in Fig. 4. This arrangement admits of the lower edges of the plates, o fitting between pallet-boards q on a board, r, and retaining said pallet-boards in proper position on board r, as will be fully understood by referring to Fig. 3. The under edges of the end pieces, n n, ofthe mold-box G have each a recess, s, made in them to receive projections t at the ends of the board r, and cause said board to be connected to the mold-box as the latter is fed underneath the press-box E and ciodcrusher F and out therefrom. (See Fig. 5.) When the mold-box G is underneath the clodcrusher F, the bars c thereof' are directly over land in line with the partition-plates o of the mold-box G, as shown in Fig. 6.

The operation is as follows: The shaft B is rotated by any convenient power, and the clay is thrown into the box A in a properlymoistened state, and is tempered ormixed by the action of the knives G. These knives perform twofunctions--to wit, they cut and mix the clay, and at the same time, owing` to their oblique positions, force the clay downward in the box, and the scrapers D cause the pressbox E to be filled, as in their rotation they sweep over the upper end of the latter. The mold-box G to be filled is placed on the frame H at the back of' the press-box E, between it and bar S, and said mold-box is forced underneath the clod-crusher F by drawing the lever R outward, the bar S acting on the mold-box in consequence of the toothed segment N gearing into the rack M. As the mold-box passes underneath the clod-crusher F, the latter is allowed to yield or give in an upward direction, the springs g on the rods e yielding, and the rods serving as guides for the clod-crusher. The springs g cause the clod-crus'her to fit snugly on the mold-box, and when the latter is adjusted in proper position underneath the f'ormer the operator turns the shaft J through the medium of the levers K, and thereby elevates the frame H, and forces the clod-crusher F upward within the press-box E. By this movement of the clod-crusher the clay is forced between thev bars c thereof and well compacted in the mold-box G, each compartment of the latter being filled, and the bars o serving to divide the clay, so that it may pass into the several compartments of the moldbox without coming in contact with the partitions o. When the mold-box G is filled, the frame H is lowered, an empty mold-box G placed on the frame H behind the filled one, and the bar S again shoved or drawn outward, so as toj'pushj the filled mold-box out from underneath the clod-crusher F and the empty one underneath the latter for a succeeding operation. It will be seen, ofcourse, that the sides b b of the clod-crusher are curved, as well as the inner surfaces of the press-box E, in order to admit of a curvilinear motion of the clod-crusher as it rises, such movement being necessary on account of the frame H working on shaft I.- The filled mold is deprived of' superfluous clay as passing underneath the front plate of' the press-box, said plate serving as a scraper. The filled moldbox is deprived of its contents by simply raising the body of' the box, the molded clay resting on the pallet-boards q q, on which they are carried to the proper place to be dried. The body of the mold-box may be very readily adjusted on the board i", and the partitions o eff'ectually prevent any lateral displacement of the pallet-boards, while, in consequence of' having the body of the mold-box attached to the board r by means of the projections t on the latter fitting in the recesses s in the ends n of the former, the board i", with the palletboards q thereon, is forced along with the mold-box G underneath and out from the clodcrusher, as described.

I do not claim, broadly and separately, the employment or use of' rotating `knives and scrapers for tempering clay in brick-molding machines; but,

Having thus described my nvention, what I do claim as new, and desire to securel by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of the curved and yielding clod-crusher F with the press-box E and the mold G, in the manner herein shown and described.

2. rlhe combination, with the pallets q and bottom board, r, of the beveled side pieces, m, and the beveled division-pieces o ofthe moldbox G, when the said side pieces are arranged to extend below the level of the pallets, all in the manner and for the purpose herein shown and described.

3. The construction of the edges n n of the mold-box G.with recesses s s, in combination with projections t upon the boards fr, all as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

J. A. LAFLER. f

Witnesses:

JOHN N. PRocron, IsAAc GERE. 

